TEA Technology in Education 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A principal wants to ensure equitable technology access for all students, including those without home internet. Which strategy best addresses the digital divide?
- Require all assignments to be completed in school only
- Provide school-issued devices with hotspots for students lacking home connectivity (Correct answer)
- Send paper copies home for students without internet
- Partner only with local libraries for after-hours access
Correct answer: Provide school-issued devices with hotspots for students lacking home connectivity
Providing school-issued devices with hotspot capabilities directly addresses lack of home connectivity and ensures equitable access.
Question 2: Under FERPA, which action requires explicit parental consent before sharing student data with an edtech vendor?
- Sharing aggregate, de-identified class performance data
- Sharing individual student records containing personally identifiable information (Correct answer)
- Sharing directory information that has been publicly designated
- Sharing data with a school official performing a legitimate educational function
Correct answer: Sharing individual student records containing personally identifiable information
FERPA requires parental consent before disclosing personally identifiable information from education records to outside vendors.
Question 3: A campus principal reviews a vendor's edtech tool that collects student browsing data for ad targeting. What should be the principal's response?
- Allow it if the tool improves test scores
- Reject the tool as it violates COPPA and student privacy standards (Correct answer)
- Require teachers to supervise all student sessions
- Limit use to students over age 16 only
Correct answer: Reject the tool as it violates COPPA and student privacy standards
Collecting student data for ad targeting violates COPPA protections for students under 13 and conflicts with responsible edtech procurement standards.
Question 4: Which framework is most commonly used by Texas principals to evaluate the integration of technology into classroom instruction?
- Bloom's Digital Taxonomy only
- TEKS Technology Applications strand and ISTE Standards (Correct answer)
- Common Core State Standards Technology Appendix
- NAEP Technology Literacy Assessment rubric
Correct answer: TEKS Technology Applications strand and ISTE Standards
Texas principals use the TEKS Technology Applications strand alongside ISTE Standards to evaluate and guide classroom technology integration.
Question 5: A teacher reports that students are bypassing content filters using VPNs on school devices. What is the principal's best first step?
- Confiscate all student devices permanently
- Work with the district's IT department to update filtering policies and block VPN applications (Correct answer)
- Discipline every student caught using a VPN
- Disable all internet access campus-wide
Correct answer: Work with the district's IT department to update filtering policies and block VPN applications
Collaborating with IT to strengthen filtering and block VPN apps addresses the systemic issue within proper policy and technical channels.
Question 6: When developing a campus technology plan, which element is considered most critical for long-term success?
- Purchasing the newest devices every year
- Aligning technology goals with the campus improvement plan and providing ongoing professional development (Correct answer)
- Installing the fastest available internet speed
- Assigning one technology coach per grade level
Correct answer: Aligning technology goals with the campus improvement plan and providing ongoing professional development
Aligning technology with campus goals and supporting staff through professional development ensures sustainable and purposeful integration.
Question 7: A principal observes that teachers use interactive whiteboards primarily to display static slides. What leadership action best addresses this low-level technology use?
- Replace whiteboards with tablets
- Facilitate professional development focused on pedagogically rich, interactive uses of available technology (Correct answer)
- Mandate a minimum number of technology activities per week
- Purchase additional software licenses
Correct answer: Facilitate professional development focused on pedagogically rich, interactive uses of available technology
Professional development that shifts pedagogy from substitution to transformation is the most effective lever for improving technology integration quality.
TEA Technology in Education 2
A principal wants to ensure equitable technology access for all students, including those without home internet.
Which strategy best addresses the digital divide?